The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-20
MURDER OF CONAUGHTON.
Testimony Of the Three Most Impor-
tant Witnesses Against Alf. lsaacs.
The Defendants Counsel Will Endeayor to
Prove that Conaughton Was Killed by
the Man Who Fired the First Shot.

yesterday morning the audience was not large,
and it differed little in character from that of
the preceding day The spectators are among
the best citizens of the city. including business
men Illinois, Washington and Meridian
streets. Isaacs was in their employ for several
years. and, although he has not borne spotless
reputation in late mon tbs they cannot be in
duced to believe that he murdered Thomas Con-
aughton, and are giving him all the legitimate
assistance possible in his effort to prove his in
nocence. AS the day went on the crowd of spec
tators increased, and during the afternoon SEES
sion the courtroom doors had to be locked to
keep out those who could not find standing room
without crowding around the bar. Thomas
Reagan, the uncle of Conaughton, is the only
relative of the dead man st the trial. He pays
close attention to all the Evidence, and says he
does not want to see Isaacs convicted unless he
is the guilty man, but he proposes to spend his
time and money in hunting down the real muir
derer, whoever he may be- Mrs. Isaacs is very
sick, and is unable to attend the trial, but the
son and daughter remain close by their fathers
side, and the latter attracts much attention by
frequently giving the attorneys points during
the examination Of witnesses.
The prosecution continued their evidence by
the examination of DR.. E. F. Hodges police sur
geon, who attended Conaughton. He simply
testified to the nature of the wound. stating that
it was necessarily fatal one He was followed
by Dr. Manner. who conducted the post norton.
The first important witness was H. G. Stiles.
freight agent for the c., II. & l. railroad. With
Elmer McGnire,~ he was In the freight office
when the shooting occurred. When three shots
had been fred they went out of the Office
together and found Conaughton leaning against
a car He did not know at the time he was shot.
and, as he had left the Office unlocked, returned
there and left Mcclure with the man. Where
Mcclure went after that he did not know.
The next witness was Elmer Mcclure. When
Stiles left him at Conaughtons side; the with ess
asked him vino had shot him. The defense OBJ
iected to the witness repeating what the de-
.eased had said, and ne continued by saying he
saw a man walking toward New Jersey
street He followed him, and overlook him on
New Jersey street, near Pogue's run. He
stopped the man, who said the person who did
the shooting had gone up Virginia avenue. The
man with whom ne talked, the witness thought.
was Isaacs. On cross examination he admitted
that he had been working on the case, ana had
secured the testimony on which an Indictment
was returned, and that he had the promise of
pay for his work in case Isaacs was convicted.
Superintendent Travis and Patrolman Wilson
related what they knew and saw of the affair.
The latter diagonally across the avenue
when the first two shots were fired in the yard.
He heard four shots and thought the last two
were fired in front of the coal shed opposite the
street scales. He was at the scene of the shoot
ing few seconds after it occurred, and did Tot
see Isaacs there.
The last witness Of the forenoon Miss Ida
Fesher the daughter of Mrs Sarah Flesher and
tadV W o.
mated that led to a warrant being sworn out for
Coraughton's arrest With her mother she was
in the north room of the house when the shoot
ing took place. The last shots she heard dis
tinstly They were close to the north side OF
the house that the sound reverberated on the
piano. and the flash of the cartridge was re-
fected on the window. that she was enabled
to objects in the room distinctly. The gas
had not yet been lighted. 80
The first witness after tina noon recess ues
Miss Jennie Ransom reading on Cedar street.
On the evening of the shooting she left her
home about ten minutes past b o'clock, ard
started to 60 to a grocery errand. Three
squares from home she met Isaacs on the cor
nor of Howard and Cedar streets. 1t was then
about fifteen or twenty minutes past o'clock.
He carried rubber coat, but she could not say
whether he had on hat or cap.
Edward Vance. residing at No. 258 South East
street. testified that on the evening of the shoot
ing he passed Isaacs on Virginia avenue. below
the railroad tracks. Isaacs was coming north,
on the west size of the street The witness
thought it was about $50 o'clock when he met
him.
Enoch ]. Williams was the next witness. 1t
was on his testimany that the Indictment WAS
found and when he took the stand pin dropped
could have been heard in any part of the room.
He appeared little nervous, and told his story
in answer to many questions. He had known
Isaac5, he said, for seventeen years. On the
night of the murder he was going to the theater.
He was on Virginia avenue, a few feet south of
| No 122, when he heard two shots fired in the
| yard on the south side of the house. He
| stopped, heard someone running and moment
| later saw two men scuffiing the sidewalk.
| Both men started to run east in the coal yard.
| and then he heard more shot fired.
By that asn.r time o the he h esasas Fln aa to
saw Isaacs fire the third shot directly at the man
| running Isaacs then ran east toward the cars,
| and he thought he crawled under the cars at
auy rate he lost sight of him at the cars.
| Reinho!d, he said. had just turned the north
west corner of the house when the fatal shot was
| fred Isaacs wore black slouched hat and a
| dark overcoat The witness was put through a
| rigid cross examination by Attorney Harding,
| and mixed his story some before he got
| through. .sss+ss
| asked Mr.. Harding 92Rb
Fifteen twenty feet. f. =.
| "You know it was Alfred Isaacs"
II do" y$t syI#
"Did you follow him9'
81 did not"
why didn't you speak TO Mimi
II don't know"
"Where did you go?'
al remained around in the neighborhood until
| the man was taken to the statlon-house2"
'Who did you first tell of the shootingl'
'My wife" eGgs
'You told none Of the oficersl"
mo, sir; wanted to keep out Of it."
did you ever say anything to Isaacs about
| it," -.
sIsaacs was talking about the shooting one
| day. and told him knew he killed the man."
Didn't you ask him for half a dollar, and
didn't he refuse to let you have it,"
Nor ~ ts
Ex-Constable Renhold followed Mr.. Williams.
He related the object OF his visit TO the Flesher
homestead that night, and said he went in by a
rear gate. and found Conaughton standing near
| the pump. After ne had told Conaughton what
he wanted. they start d toward the door, and
| Conauehton struck him and ran. The witness
grabbed his revolver and shot in the ground,
and started to run after Conaughton. When he
reached thesfront of the house he saw Conaugh-
ton raising up on the sidewalk and he fred
again, this time in the air. He went out of the
gate to the avenue and there met Sergeant
Sauers. While Sauers was asking him what the
shots meant two more shots were fired. Sauers
ran in the direction from which they came, and
the witness followed him. While ne and Sauers
were talking north of the house man came up,
and he thought il Ait Isaacs. His cross
examination was very severe.